


Orphan

by AnnieVH



Series: Rumple and the Spinsters [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Family, Fluff, Gen, meat pies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-14
Updated: 2015-01-14
Packaged: 2018-03-07 12:55:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3174294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnieVH/pseuds/AnnieVH
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rumpelstiltskin comes to grips with a new reality.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Orphan

**Author's Note:**

> Still taking prompts for the "Rumpel and the Spinsters" verse :)

The smell of food found Rumpelstiltskin's nose as soon as he opened the door. His stomach grumbled to remind him he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast; then tied itself in an unpleasant knot when he saw Aunt Fauna and Aunt Flora's smiling faces.

“Hello, Rumpel,” said Aunt Flora, putting plates on the table.

“You were very fast,” said Aunt Fauna, cooking something on the stove.

“Did you do all your deliveries?”

“What a fast helper we got ourselves.”

Rumpel looked at the ground and nodded.

“You should go wash your hands,” Aunt Flora said.

“And get ready for dinner,” Aunt Fauna added. “I'm making meat pies.”

“Have you ever had meat pies?”

“They're our favorite.”

“And Fauna's are especially good.”

When he first met them, Rumpelstiltskin had tried to keep up with their peculiar way of talking by letting his eyes travel from one to another. By now, he had realized that was pointless. It was easier to just let them speak and take their opinions as if they were from a single person.

Noticing they were still waiting for an answer, Rumpel shook his head. When he was living with his father, they only had scraps to eat. They usually ate at the back alley of a pub, or walking from one town to another because Papa was afraid someone might catch on to his cheats. Often times there was no food to be eaten at all.

Ever since coming back to their house, the spinsters had made sure they sat down together to eat every morning for breakfast and every night for dinner. Rumpel could see they were making an effort to make him feel welcome by cooking good food and trying to engage him in conversation. At first, Rumpel thought they were curious about what had happened between him and his father, but soon he realized he was wrong. Curiosity would have died after a few days. They were _concerned_ about what had happened between him and his father.

For the past ten days, they had been trying to pry the whole story out of him with gentle words. Flora had been particularly keen on trying to get him to open up.

“Are you sure you are alright, dearest?” she had asked, every other hour. “Are you sure you wouldn't like to rest a little? How about we talk? Would you like to talk?”

It had gotten to the point where Aunt Fauna intervened in her less than subtle way and ordered her friend to “give the kid a break” in a very ineffective whisper.

Their worries only made Rumpel feel worst. He almost wished they'd give him up to an orphanage and let him be. Having to deal with their kindness on a daily basis was turning his guilt into something unbearable.

When Aunt Fauna passed him boiled peas at dinner and commented that he hadn't taken one bite off his pie, to what Aunt Flora immediately complemented by asking if he was feeling alright, he caved in.

“I'm sorry I took the bean.”

It was a whispered confession, but they heard it anyway.

Aunt Fauna put the peas down, keeping her eyes on the boy with a calculating expression.

Aunt Flora reached for his hand and said, “Dearest, we are not mad.”

“The bean was yours, Rumpel,” Aunt Fauna said. “You didn't steal it from us.”

“But you said I should wait,” he argued in a meek voice. “That I should only use it when I was old enough.”

“Rumpel, it's alright,” Aunt Flora said, still stroking his hand.

Aunt Fauna said, “You're a child.” As if his apology was the silliest reaction.

“You wanted to be with you father.”

“You love him.”

“There is nothing wrong with love.”

That induced a sudden realization into his young mind that made his bottom lip quiver. “He doesn't love me.”

Aunt Fauna huffed in that way that indicated she was trying very hard to hold her tongue and not say something rude. Aunt Flora gave him a sad smile, but said nothing.

“Is it because I hold him back?”

Aunt Fauna practically screamed, “ _What_?!”

Aunt Flora was quick to shake er head and overrule her friend's noise with kind words. “No, of course not!”

“Hold him back.” Aunt Fauna rolled her eyes.

“He didn't leave you because there was anything wrong with you,” said Aunt Flora.

“He left because he's a coward,” complemented Aunt Fauna.

Aunt Flora was the first to promise, “We're never leaving you.”

And Aunt Fauna was the first to explain, “Because we're a family now.”

Rumpelstiltskin tried to wrap his mind around that strange concept of family. Most boys his age had a father and a mother, and a place to call home. Before, all he had ever had was his Papa, traveling from town to town, trying to survive. Now, Papa was gone, and had left him a family that was equally (if not more) unusual in his place.

However, as Aunt Flora held on to his hand, and Aunt Fauna insisted he eat something, the knot of guilt in his stomach came undone. Their kindness, as undeserving as it was, felt very natural to him, and very honest.

Maybe they were telling the truth.

Maybe that most unusual family was exactly what he needed.


End file.
